The skyline of EMBORIÓ , the island's port and only habitation, is pierced by the tallest freestanding clocktower in the Dodecanese and, a bit further north, the belfry of Áyios Nikólaos church. Emborió's restored houses are pretty much block-booked from April to October by the tour companies mentioned; independent travellers will be lucky to find anything at all on spec, even early or late in the season. Non-package accommodation , all requiring advance reservations, includes the delightful, en-suite Captain's House (tel 02460/45 201; ¬24-33), which has the feel of an old French country hotel and whose English manageress Christine can point you in likely directions if she's full; Pension Keanthi (tel 02460/45 334; ¬24-33) near the school, offering bland, pine-furnished rooms with high ceilings plus a few galleried studios (¬34-42); and the municipally-owned Hotel Halki (tel 02460/49 390; ¬34-42) in the old sponge factory on the south side of the bay, indifferently managed and beset by creeping damp, but likely to have a vacancy. Of the half-dozen tavernas along the field-stoned, pedestrianized waterfront, Remezzo (aka Takis ) is excellent for mayireftá and pizzas, Maria behind the post office has good grills, while Houvardas , near the north end of the quay has proven reliable for mayireftá over the years. Amongst a similar number of bars and cafés, the standout has to be Soula's (aka "The Parrot Bar" after resident birds), near the base of the jetty, with puddings and own-made ice cream to die for. There's a post office , four well-stocked stores, two good bakeries cranking out a range of bread and pies, plus two travel agencies which sell boat tickets and change money (there's no bank); one of them, Zifos Travel (tel 02460/45 028, zifos-travel@rho.forthnet.gr ) often has a few vacancies amongst studios which they hold back from the UK companies.